ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · stick · saw · shower · ground · last · bark · perch

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. last — final
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — finally
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — rain
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — a position
  20. bark — to shout
  21. last — to go on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com